how come there are no named female watchmen that is completely human?
i mean.. in "Monserous regiment" they make a big thing about women being able to kick ass at least as good as their male counterparts so why not a watch(wo)man?

A very good question. I think that Terry is uncomfortable in trying to portray "normal" women--even in MR, Polly is the closest thing to a normal human female. And even then, all of them are being used to make a point about the discrimination against women.

Actually, have you noticed that there are very few female characters (of any species) in Terry's books?

Yep, it's something I've wondered at as well. Most people don't know that Angua is a werewolf, so they presumably think she is a normal human woman. You would think that women in A-M seeing her doing so well in the Watch, would be inspired to join up themselves.

Tonyblack wrote:Yep, it's something I've wondered at as well. Most people don't know that Angua is a werewolf, so they presumably think she is a normal human woman. You would think that women in A-M seeing her doing so well in the Watch, would be inspired to join up themselves.

A question to ask Terry should you ever meet him I think.

i will one of many questions i have to him do you know if he has like a fan mailbox or something?

Mrs. Cake - Mrs. Cosmopolite - Mrs. Palm - all formidable human ladies although Mrs. Cake is arguably 'gifted' if not actually a witch and seems to be 'well-respected'.

In the Guilds in A-M they're actually more consistently represented or at least mentioned more than the men (the Assassins have had 2 incumbents and the Thieves rarely get a mention or have anything to do after CoM/LF) whereas Rosie and Molly are there in passing a lot more.

"Some men see things as they are and ask why. Others dream things that never were and ask why not.” George Bernard Shaw

swreader wrote:A very good question. I think that Terry is uncomfortable in trying to portray "normal" women--even in MR, Polly is the closest thing to a normal human female. And even then, all of them are being used to make a point about the discrimination against women.

Actually, have you noticed that there are very few female characters (of any species) in Terry's books?

I have to totally disagree with you there. Fantasy in general is a male-dominated genre where women are mostly used as sex objects.

And while early on Pterry did rely too much on these stereotypes and took awhile to start developing fully fleshed out female characters (one could argue whether this started with the Granny Weatherwax of Equal Rites, Esk, or Isabel(sp.) of Mort), but once he published Wyrd Sisters he became one of the few writers in the genrewho has developed a very rich set of well (narratively) developed female characters.

Women like Susan, Granny Weatherwax, Angua, Tiffany, Polly, and Glenda are some of the most resourceful and strong-willed characters in his books and generally possess far more intelligence and common sense then the men with whom they interact. Female sidekicks and supporting females like Sacharisia, Spike, Nanny Ogg, Magrat, Agnes, Sally and Cheery are all well developed characters that make vital contributions to the resolutions of their narratives. Even someone like Lady Sibyl(sp.), who Pterry could have easily allowed to remain a one-dimensional goof on the aristocracy, has evolved to become a highly intelligent, strong-willed woman who makes vital contributions toward solving Vimes' problems.

And let's not forget the most powerful female on the discworld--Rhys, King of the Dwarfs.

Last edited by raisindot on Thu Oct 13, 2011 8:31 pm, edited 2 times in total.

KarenM wrote:Not members of the watch but the Dolly Sisters are mentioned a fair few times.

Do you mean Dotsie and Sadie, the Agony Aunts?

Dolly Sisters is an area in A-M, not and people as such.

There are human women in the books - Sybil, Saccharissa, Miss Dearheart, Queen Molly and Mrs (wossname from the UU kitchens) to name but a few.

yes those are women from the books.. but very few of the "normal" women in the books has had a "big" role.. the only ones i can remember is the night kitchen girls in Unseen academicals. were they did have big roles.
and in monstruos regiment

and by "normal" women i mean Humans of the female persuasion that is not a witch or a vapire or a werewolf or any other sutch thing.

so i still think that it is strange that more women have not joined the watch i mean Angua is officialy a human. that should give more women that idea.

In the Guilds in A-M they're actually more consistently represented or at least mentioned more than the men (the Assassins have had 2 incumbents and the Thieves rarely get a mention or have anything to do after CoM/LF) whereas Rosie and Molly are there in passing a lot more.

yes. but all of those are not main caracters.. they only figure in the background so the main caracters can have something to talk to.. and they are not watchmen